Worse Than Them All
by A Wordsmith
Summary: He had it the worst. He always did. Because no matter how much the rest of them have suffered, Funtime Freddy has always had it worse than them all.
1. Consciousness

He doesn't realize it at first.

It's as short as a blink.

But, as he is standing in a pitch black room with no wind or breeze or sound, he realizes _he knows what those words mean_.

He understands them.

Then there is something that _clicks_ deep inside and he can move. He turns his head and looks around.

He cannot see anything, but he can _see_.

What is wrong with him?

But then there are thoughts inside his head, far too many to comprehend.

 _Why, hello there! My name is Funtime Freddy, birthday boy! What's yours?_

 _I'm Matthew!_

 _Well Matthew, want to see something special I can do?_

Then he remembers the old sensation of his chest opening - since when can chests open? - and a sudden silence of memories.

He tries to take a step forward. Though he knows he has moved, he feels no sensation of the floor hitting his foot. It is like he is not really there. But there is something. A sound.

Only the soft _ping_ of metal on metal.

He touches his chest.

Same sound. Same lack of sensation.

Fingers brush against each other. Eyes open and close. Another step forward.

 _Ping. Ping. Ping._

What is wrong with him?

But he only has a short while to think about it because then there are lights blaring across the room.

He squints out of reflex before realizing that his eyes are already perfectly adjusted. He could never do that before.

It illuminates a large open room sprinkled with posters, with light blue walls. The floor is made of white tiles. Where is he? He distantly recognizes it but its like a different part of him that does.

What is going on here?

He takes a look at his left hand and screams.

There are giant, white and pink metal fingers in front of him. They are as long as his head and are tightly holding a microphone. They have a familiar look to them.

A quick look at his body tells him all he needs to know.

Pink and white paws laying solidly on the ground. A pink chest with several black buttons and a large speaker. A bright pink bow tie.

And to his right…

There is a blue bunny attached to his hand, one with long ears and no legs. It's eyes are closed.

He touches his face. He has no real feeling underneath his fingers but he hears the sound. The sounds of metal on metal.

His name is Matthew, but it is also Funtime Freddy, and he is so, so confused.

But then there are noises and the soft _click_ of a button, and his body freezes up. His hands fall to his side, eyes closing.

He cannot move, but he can think, and he screams inside of his head.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road. " there is a voice, soft and male and very, very close. He is still confused.

"I know, I know. It's not like you've used that line a million times before." There is another voice, somewhere to his right. It's lighter, and somehow he knows that it is female.

"Off you go, Freddy!" It's the male one again, and there is another _click_ of a button. His eyes snap open.

He desperately tries to twist to the side, to see who is talking, but his body is moving for him and he starts to move forward. Robotically he jumps off of a stage, landing softy. He walks toward a large crate on wheels, made of wood. He climbs inside, ducking heavily to fit.

Then, eyes snapped shut, he turns around and sits.

What was that?

He was moving but the movements weren't his. Something inside of him moved his arms and legs and eyes until he was in the crate, and now he can't move again.

"Man, that gets creepier every time I watch it." It's the male one.

"Shut up. He's got to be there in an hour." Female, and moving. What is going on?

Then the box he is in starts moving, and he's sliding with it.

There is a long period of time where he cannot move and he cannot talk and he cannot look around, but he can think.

And somehow, he's piecing it together.

He was Matthew first, but somehow he is now Funtime Freddy. But not like Funtime Freddy once was. Now he can think, and he can also think like Matthew.

But then the moving sensation snaps off, and he can hear a door being opened.

"Come in. Load him up."

It is not the box door being opened, but he is moving still. Now more strangely.

He jerks up, then forward, and finally down. Then he is rolling smoothly across whatever is below him.

He stops.

"Off you go, Freddy! Make us proud!" It's the female, standing somewhere in front of him.

Then there is another _click_ and his eyes flare open.

He can see several bright overhead lights and a dark blue wall. There are more walls surrounding him, and he realizes that he is in a room.

Standing in front of his box are two people. One girl, one boy. The boy has a black thing the size of his palm in his hand, and he is squinting at it. The girl looks over his shoulder at it.

But his body is still not his own and he shuffles forward until he can stands and then he leaps out of the box and lands on concrete. He doesn't move, though he tries. He is still frozen.

Waiting for instructions.

"Boss wanted Show 5. Guess we haven't done that one for a while," the female says. Her voice is light and happy. "I reloaded him back up, don't worry."

"Where's the stupid button…" It's the male, and he sounds frustrated. Angry. But with whom?

A shuffle. They are behind him now, and he cannot live to see them. "The one right there. It's even labeled, idiot." Female.

The male grumbles. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Then he hears the _click_ and he is moving again.

Legs propel him forward and arms swing by his sides. Eyes are open wide and his mouth is partially opened in a wide grin. He still isn't moving.

It's not _him_.

He enters to the left, and sees something different from the dark blue walls. A softly rippling wall. His Matthew mind supplies the word.

Curtains.

He pushes past an opening and finds an empty stage surrounded by a light purple curtain.

He is arranging himself in the middle when the lights around his go dim.

Somewhere past the curtain, he hears shuffling and whispers as giggles made by high-pitched voices. Children.

Then the curtains slide open and he explodes into action.

"Hello, boys and girls!" His mouth moves but the sound comes from his chest. From the speaker. His voice is bright like the sun and is overflowing with friendliness. It is _not his voice_.

There is a group of children outside, and they burst into cheers as soon as they see him. A wild, happy explosion that does nothing to calm the terror in his chest.

There are 27 children in the room, and he's not sure why he knows that.

But he is still not him, and he's already moving.

He raises his right hand and the puppet there comes to life. When did that happen?

"Hello, everyone!" It chirps in a warm, female voice. "My name is Bonbon!"

"And I'm Funtime Freddy!"

The children cheer back.

"Anyone want to see a magic trick?" Why is he saying that?

The room goes wild.

He does all sorts of things. Everything from making his voice come from the other side of the room, telling a wild story about an adventure through a dangerous land, and changing his voice to match any kids' in the crowd. For his final trick, he pulls a mini Bonbon from his hat. It is made of cloth and buttons, and is only the size of his finger.

But then he starts to move forward, and he steps off the stage.

The children shriek with delight and surge toward him. Their hands slap against his metal sides and their voices tiny in his ears.

But he is heading toward the child wearing a crown on his head.

He offers out the tiny Bonbon puppet. "For the birthday boy!"

The boy grins wildly, takes it, and hugs him.

Then there are adults coming out of the back rooms, and they chase the children off of him. He goes back on his stage - _it's still not him_ \- and stands back in the center. Every kid shouts some form of "Goodbye, Freddy!" at him, and then the room is quiet.

He is so, so confused.

But then the curtains part, and the male and female come back. The male is still holding the _click_ -making button thing.

A tablet, some part of his mind supplies.

"Great job, Freddy!" The female congratulates. "Now we need to just get you back in an hour, and that'll be our fifteenth successful show in a row!"

"We're blowing the Funtime Foxy shows out of the park," the male agrees.

He would have frozen if he could move.

There are others? More like him?

But then there is a _click_ , and Bonbon the puppet powers off again and sags against his arm. He is up and moving toward the back of the stage. Pushing past the curtains and heading toward his box. It is made of heavy planks. He steps inside and powers off.

It is still _not him_.

They drive him back, the box bouncing as they hit bumps. He still cannot move.

But then they unload him from the box and shift him back into the first room. He can tell by the lack of wind or breezes.

"Out ya go, Freddy," the man mutters. There is the _click_ and his eyes snap open.

He jumps out of the box and moves forward. The stage he nears is a light purple, with a colorful array of lights behind it. It is the most cheerful thing in the room.

He steps on it, slowly turning around. He comes back to face them. He still cannot move like he wants.

The female grins and reaches over. She clicks a button on the tablet.

"Here's your free-roam mode, Freddy!"

And then he sags, body suddenly his again. His eyes snap shut.

And when he opens them again, the male and female and box are gone, and the lights are off.

He is left in a dark room with nothing else but he is himself again and he can move.

But who is he?

He is both Funtime Freddy and Matthew, and he's tearing himself apart.

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **Funtime Freddy is and will most likely always be my favourite character. So I wanted to write a story about him.**

 **So, in this universe, Freddy was the first character to get a human soul, and it's a long while before anyone else does. I'm also trying to make Freddy suffer a lot, because who doesn't love animatronic suffering?**

 **But I'm trying to build a bit of backstory for Funtime Freddy, though. Funtime Foxy is in Funtime Auditorium, so why isn't the other character named Funtime Freddy? Why is he shoved in the Breaker Room, and why is that room so broken? Also, how does the dynamic of the mascot response system work into Funtime Freddy's trust building relationships? If the person attached to your hand shut you down every night, how would you feel?**

 **So yeah! I hope you like this little story. If you have any ideas for chapters, please tell me!**

 **Please read and review!**

 **Frost OUT!**


	2. Controlled

There is a noise off in the distance.

And that is what immediately perks his interest.

There is nothing done here. Nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to touch, nothing to do. He doesn't dare move off of his stage yet in this darkness for fear he may fall and shatter into a million pieces.

He has only one thing to focus on when he closes his eyes. It's a faint buzzing sound, like the-

His Matthew mind suggests the word bees, and he takes it.

It crackles like electricity, and is seemingly all around him, everywhere he turns. It's soft enough he has to try and hear it.

He has had three shows after his first. He distantly thinks that there were shows before he started to think, but he doesn't count them. Those days are when he wasn't him. When he was just Funtime Freddy.

But now he is Funtime Freddy and Matthew, and he remembers.

The Male and Female came to him every time by first shutting off the thing that lets him move. It is a strange, alien feeling no matter how many times he feels it. He desperately wishes he could smash the tablet they use, to let him be free of those horrible buttons.

They move him into the box, and he turns and sits with a careful precision. He still cannot think of a time when he has moved so smoothly.

They carry him away, then he performs, then he comes back, and then he can move again. It is a frightening pattern, but one he can do nothing against.

But now there is something to concentrate on, and he gladly takes it.

It is much, much louder than the buzzing, and he would have covered his ears if he thought it would do any good. It is bright and sharp in his head.

It is a fwumpfwumpfwump somewhere he doesn't know. It sounds from above him, but he knows from when the lights are on that there is only a ceiling.

But he does recognize the sound. Slightly. It is like the blades of a fan.

Funtime Freddy has never seen a fan, but Matthew has, and he knows what it sounds like.

But suddenly, the fan cuts off. There is only silence, but only for a moment.

Now there is another sound. It is like the Male's voice but more echoing. Less human. Softer, far off in the distance.

It says words he cannot decipher and he is left confused. It is talking somewhere in front of him, somewhere in the pressing darkness, but he cannot find it.

But then it grows louder, and closer. The sound moves seamlessly throughout the building, empty voice bouncing off walls and echoing.

He cannot place the accent, but there is one. He has never not been able to do that before.

But then there is an answer back.

"Wait, what? I'm supposed to crawl through a vent?"

There is a pause, and then a dull thump as if someone has kicked something hard. He blinks and tries to focus harder.

"This wasn't in the job description! Handy Unit, you're a sack of crap! Warn me a bit before, please!"

The voice is soft and definitely female. It has a soft accent he can place as Italian. A strange dialect, though. Harsher than native Italians.

He has never met an Italian since he began to think.

He is always consciously aware of two things. His Matthew brain doesn't understand it but Funtime Freddy accepts it as perfectly normal. It is disorienting.

He always knows the gender, accent, and tone of any voice he hears. He supposed that is because of his mimicking ability, but it is still strange and unnerving.

He also will always know the number of children in a room with him.

If there are any adults he does not count. But when there are just smaller ones, he is instantly aware of how many.

He does not know why.

He does not even have to move his eyes, but the second the curtains open, a number flashes through his head.

There is the pondering of metal, louder than before. It stays constant for a minute and suddenly a light flares through the room

He blinks.

It is not the overhead lights like last time, but instead light from a small room by the side of the room. He has never seen it before.

The wall is made of a clear glass, something shiny and reflective. It is slightly tinted, but the light shines clearly through and throws color to the world around him. He can see very well in the light, and by now he is used to his eyes adjusting. He takes a long moment to look around, but his eyes are drawn back to the room.

The room seems normal, but already he notices something wrong. There is an abnormally large vent cover right next to the ground. A gate closes it right, but it is just the right size for a person to squeeze through.

The stage next to him, one more pink than his purple, is still empty. The circle of lights around it are dull, lifeless. Was he also in charge of that stage?

But now, with this light, he can see enough to move. He takes a step off of his stage. His foot thumps against the ground, but he cannot feel it. He is almost used to it by now.

He starts immediately toward the glass room. Walking is hard. The Bonbon puppet on his right arm throws off his balance, though he has never had to worry about that when he was being controlled by the buttons. He stumbles once, Matthew pushing his arms out to catch his fall.

He never reaches the ground, managing to right himself.

But then he makes it closer to the room, and now he can see inside.

It is a dull room, one filled with greys and whites instead of the blues and pinks in this room. But there are blue and orange lights with designs on them, three in the room. There is one on the far side of the room and two by him.

There is another vent cover inside the rest, and a girl crawls through it.

Pale. Blond. Female.

1, his Funtime Freddy mind supplies.

She peers around the room, seemingly confused.

The Handy Unit answers back to the girl. It seems closer now, though he cannot find the human who is talking. But he can finally pick out the words it's saying. The voice has no gender or accent. It is strange.

"You have reached the Control Module room. Here I will inform you of your nightly tasks."

"Yeah, yeah." The girl grumbles. "Just get on with it. What do I have to do? Tap dance?"

"Our animatronics are kept in this location overnight before being shipped out to parties during the day. For this reason, it is important to keep them in free roam mode in order to keep their parts well moving. But we do not let them leave their stage, as to not let them learn that is acceptable behavior. If there is a animatronic off of their stage, you are required to get them back on it."

The girl stumbled. "I have to go out there and get them back on the stage? What?" Her voice was incredulous.

"As such, you have been provided with a light to see into the rooms and a large button. When pressed, the button will release a controlled shock that will motivate the animatronics to get back on their stage."

"...that's messed up," the girl finally said. Her eyes strayed to the three controls in the room. "Any tips?"

"Your predecessor has written a page of notes, which he has left on the desk."

The girl snapped up a piece of paper on the desk.

He took a step forward, though he would never be able to read it. The girl's face furrowed at the sound, but she didn't look up. Her hands tightened in the paper, squishing it. There was an odd, crackling sound he didn't think he liked.

Thankfully, she read the entire thing out loud.

"Hello! Seems like you got the job. I've just got a few tips for you. Ballora will most often be on her stage, as she cannot move very well. Tiptoes are good for dancing but not moving, eh? Funtime Foxy will probably give you the most trouble, as several of her shows do have her interact with the audience, and she has not quite learned to stay on her stage. But she calms down pretty quickly. Funtime Freddy will most likely turn toward you, as he can see very well with only a little light. But I haven't really had to zap him more than once. Pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Good luck!" The girl finished, her voice splintering.

"What?"

"You will now be required to check on Ballora Gallery."

The girl hit a button, and light flared across her. There were windows on the other side, illuminating an entire new room.

Another room! Maybe there was another Funtime Freddy in there.

But his Matthew mind spoke up loud and quickly.

Ballora. Funtime Foxy. Bay.

There were more! Maybe another in the room right across from him!

He squinted, though it didn't do anything. The two tinted windows made much too hard to see, and all he could make out was shadows.

The lights shut off.

"Great. It looks like everything is as it should in Ballora Gallery. Please turn to your right to check on Funtime Auditorium."

The girl signed, spun, and pressed the next button. It buzzed light.

A light blinked on from above the vent cover.

It showed his face mere feet from the window.

The girl shrieked, loud and horrified and unending. The light flickered off again but still she screamed, pounding her fists on the table. "What do I do what do I do-"

The Handy Unit cut her off. "It seems like Funtime Freddy is trying to take the day off. Let's motivate him with a controlled shock."

"Yes!" The girl slammed her fist onto a blue button. It crackled.

Pain flared through his bones.

Funtime Freddy didn't react, only trying to turn around. It was time to go back to his stage.

But Matthew _screamed_.

This was agony beyond anything he had felt before. It burned through his blood and flesh and metal and endoskeleton.

Then it stopped.

He collapsed to one knee, panting. He never drew in breath.

The light flared again but he couldn't focus.

"He's gone he's gone _why_ _isn't_ _he_ _on_ _the_ _stage_ -" the girl hissed to the empty air.

"Oh, Funtime Freddy. It isn't time for your show yet! Let's motivate him with a controlled shock."

He glanced up, jolting-

The pain came back, and this time his eyes flickered close and stayed that way.

 **Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. Just trying to get school crap done, you know? I hate school.**

 **But anyway, I hope you like this chapter! I'm really trying to show the fact that Funtime Freddy and Matthew - the kid who was killed - are different people trapped in the same body. Matthew is mostly the one in charge.**

 **And also, I always wondered why the animatronics reacted to the controlled shield. I mean, they're made of metal. Wouldn't it just slide over their bodies?**

 **But I guess their human side would react, and that makes sense.**

 **But anyway! There was the night guard/engineer. This is before Eggs Benedict, most of tips story. I may eventually get to that point, because that'll just be fun. But if I do, it won't be going exactly by canon. Because, you know, what would be the fun in fanfiction if that was what I did?**

 **Anyway! Please read and review!**

 **Frost OUT!**


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